In an effort to ensure that Americans have access to high-quality, patient-focused healthcare, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has issued nursing education grants to nine states. California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington will each receive two-year, $300,000 state grants through a new program called the Academic Progression in Nursing (APIN). The program is run by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) under the authority of the Tri-Council for Nursing. Each state will consult with local academic institutions and health care providers to assist nurses in attaining higher education levels targeted towards high-quality patient care. Debbie Bacurin RN, Clinical Account Manager at American Traveler, a leading nursing and allied health staffing firm, is a big proponent of increased nursing education particularly in the area of customer service and patient care. Bacurin states, "When I managed a level II ED/Trauma center, customer service was becoming more and more important with all of the other facilities competing for our patients. Hospitals have long been doing customer service surveys and trying to change their unit or system to meet what the customer is looking for." "At American Traveler," she continued, "we counsel our travel nurses and have them [+]

Though most healthcare professionals are aware that the flu vaccine is the single-most effective means of fighting the spread of influenza, less than 60 percent of all healthcare professionals (HCPs) are vaccinated annually for flu, reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources. An alarming statistic for patients with compromised immune systems, the elderly, the pregnant and the very young. To bring the number of vaccinated HCPs up, The Joint Commission is requiring all accredited healthcare organizations to implement an annual influenza vaccination program for licensed independent practitioners and staff by July 1, 2012. The objective of the new requirement, explained in detail in The Joint Commission’s R3Report, is to meet 90 percent practitioner coverage by 2020 and to track the performance of the requirement through accredited health care organizations. “Increasing flu vaccination rates for healthcare workers is important not only to help protect themselves, but also to reduce the risk of flu infection for patients or individuals served,� said Kelly L. Podgorny, D.N.P., M.S., CPHQ, RN, project director, Standards and Survey Methods Department, Division of Healthcare Quality Evaluation, The Joint Commission. Vice President of Recruitment for American Traveler Staffing Professionals, Mary Kay Hull, [+]

ICU jobs are going places. Just ask Pamela Jo, an R.N. who joined American Traveler this month to embark on a travel nursing job in Alaska. A true adventurer, Pamela Jo set off for her first ever travel nurse job in her car, enjoying a scenic road trip that took her from her old home in Alma, Arkansas, through Canada, and eventually to Anchorage where her new Alaska travel nurse job has commenced. What might the best thing about this journey be? Pamela Jo was able to share it with her kids, who joined her on the road trip and helped her get settled in housing close to her ICU job at the hospital Learn more about free private housing by clicking on travel nurse job benefits. 

This R.N. and her family report that the scenery in and around Alaska is "the most beautiful thing ever!" Above picture- Pam and her kids river rafting From the looks of Pamela Jo’s photo album, it seems the trio is creating memories they won’t soon forget—which is why, in a month or two, we’re looking forward to sitting [+]

American Traveler Sits Down with Travel Nurse couple for an Interview Two of our registered nurses, working in ICU jobs in Kansas City, Missouri epitomize the life of an American Traveler; their names are Jeff and Jonann C., R.N.s.  So far, as our travel nursing interviews go, they represent a novelty because they are husband and wife! In fact, they met on a travel nursing assignment in Jeff’s hometown of New Hampshire 4 years ago. It is stories like these we love to feature; just see our footnote for links to other interviews with thriving travel nurses. How this Travel Nursing Pair Make the Most of Down-Time from Nursing Jobs We want to thank Jeff and Jonann for sharing some of their travel nurse lifestyle vacation memories with us. They recently returned from a family reunion in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, where 2 weeks of fishing and helping the grandparents celebrate a 50 year anniversary were easy to negotiate around their nursing jobs.

Above: Jeff and Jonann during their stay in New Hampshire for a family reunion

When asked if this is the only big trip they’ve taken in 2012, Jeff and Jonann, [+]

American Traveler mobile site makes nursing job search easy and fast. If you are doing a RN job search on your mobile phone, just go to Google and type "travel nurse jobs." When you see American Traveler come up, click on the link and you will be taken to our mobile site at m.americantraveler.com/ . Or, you can just add the American Traveler mobile site to your mobile favorites and make it even easier to find the latest travel nurse jobs or allied jobs; while you are at work or on the go. Search for jobs anywhere in the country and apply for allied jobs or nursing jobs immediately. Plus, you can find other important resources and quickly contact us.

Related Blog: Mobile Jobs Alert [+]

Read American Traveler’s Interview with an R.N. living in featured housing in Maui Tara is a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA), who has taken her decade-long experience in urology and the perioperative setting to one of the most coveted beach destinations on the planet: Maui, where she now works in the island’s main hospital in an exciting Hawaii travel nurse job. Travel Nurse Q&A For R.N.s who might be looking to take a leap like Tara, here is an enlightening Q&A session about the family friendly nature of travel nursing. Tara is joined on her assignment by her husband and two daughters, ages 4 and 8. AT: What is your favorite thing about your featured housing in Maui? Tara: Without the private housing option this adventure would not have been possible for us.  We have the beach right out our front door.  We enjoy breakfast on our private lanai with an ocean view and watch the whales out in the bay. At night we fall asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. AT: What kinds of things do you and your family like to do in [+]

Travel nurse tax time is here. Are your records in order? This year the deadline for filing taxes is April 16, 2012.* You can file taxes yourself using IRS e-file or hire a tax professional to file for you. Either way, the faster you file, the quicker you cash in on whatever refund you may have coming.  Take a moment to read five travel nurse tax tips. These will make filing taxes at the end of the year a breeze and help you get the most from your return. The 5 Travel Nurse Tax Tips 1. Track Expenses Most handheld mobile devices come with some type of app that allows you to keep track of daily expenses.  You can also use good old fashion pencil and paper or a pocketsize ledger book. Good records will enable you to easily match expenses with receipts, helping you file accurately. 2. Keep Receipts Save all receipts for dining, uniforms, fuel, utilities and other expenses related to travel nursing. In short, save every receipt for every exception you plan to claim. Either scan these receipts electronically or store them in a recipe box for safe keeping.  If you’re subject [+]

As much fun as Social Media has become, it can ruin your nurse career if you’re not careful. By following a few simple rules when conversing in online nurse forums and posting on Facebook, Twitter and others, nurses can freely enjoy Social Media and avoid common pitfalls that lead to conflict. Don’t post personal information. Outside of a basic online Profiles nurses use to network with employers, it is best to remain anonymous when participating in cyber discussion groups and posting on public and private Internet sites.  Anonymity can be effectively accomplished by utilizing avatars and clever pen names. Avoid using your real name (including just your first name) or actual thumbnail photos of you. Don’t post pictures or names of patients. Adhering to patient privacy and disclosure laws as mandated by state and federal governments (HIPPA) is paramount to avoiding conflict and liability as a nurse on the Internet. Avoid posting information that can potentially reveal who a patient is or where they’re being treated.  When sharing clinical information and experiences with others on the Internet; be sure not to refer to “a patient,� “the patient,� or “patient x.� In [+]

FREE CEU Course for Working Travel Nurses Helps Keep RNs Safe in Cyberspace Social Media is a lot of fun. It’s ideal for sharing photos and stories with family and friends and in the travel nursing world has become invaluable in journaling exploits and networking professionally.  But caution is to be had for nurses engaging Social Media, especially in nurse jobs search and communicating in online forums. To help working nurses maximize the use of Social Media while protecting themselves from getting stuck in a permanent nurse cyber-rut, American Traveler benefits include FREE CEU Courses. Topics include Social Networking; Putting Your Best Post Forward, plus many more educational topics of professional importance. The goal of the course is to inform nurses about the impact social networking has on their professional image and careers. With more healthcare employers searching Social Media websites everyday for potential candidates, the last thing any nurse needs is to be found unintentionally violating patient privacy or posting controversial comments or pictures on a Facebook page. Even if a nurse deletes or edits compromising Internet content, it’s typically already cached on a server somewhere. By using legitimate channels, employers conducting background checks and the courts can harvest it, experts say. "Taken in [+]

Meet Cindy Burbatt, R.N. and her Pets American Traveler had the pleasure of checking in with a new member of our travel nursing staff, Cindy Burbatt, R.N. who shared some of the details of her first travel nurse job in Kansas City, Missouri. We talked with Cindy on the eve of her birthday. She was full of excitement for the road trip planned the following morning, departing from North Carolina en route to the heart of the Midwest. As the mother of three grown children, Cindy decided it was the right time to change up her 16-year background as a permanent staff telemetry/med surge nurse by accepting a travel nurse job in America’s heartland. While the truck she drives may not be anything that unusual for a R.N. moving to Kansas City, one standout detail is the 17ft. long trailer attached. It accommodates her longstanding and beloved pets, George and Ash; these are Cindy’s horses, and during the car trip to Missouri they’ll be staying in farms sprinkled throughout various states—places Cindy found through an online network called Horse Motel. When they arrive in Kansas City, Cindy will take up residence in a townhome, compliments of American Traveler’s private housing arrangement. George [+]